ASM Leviasynth Keyboard synthesizer

General

You know the drill, then you've just saved a bunch of pennies again after a long time, you actually wanted to refurbish your house, after all, your studio is pretty much complete anyway. And then you see the announcement of the ASM Leviasynth, and all those noble plans fall apart again. It gnaws, it bites, it itches, it burns, and the virtual shopping basket beckons. The ASM Hydrasynth has proven to be a popular device in recent years, it is also truly a magnificent synthesiser. This Leviathan (in terms of naming another mythical monster) overtly adopts the Hydrasynth's form-factor. But: this Leviathan is no Hydra! And just as the ASM Diosynth is a completely different product, so should we look at these Leviathan synths.

Synthesis in the ASM Leviathan synth

There are small differences to note compared to the Hydrasynth, but a few major ones are the most important. The synthesis model is based on algorithms, so such an algorithm determines how the oscillators work together. The second difference also has to do with those oscillators. The Hydrasynth Deluxe has sixteen voices, with three oscillators per voice, which is already quite a lot. The Leviathan also has sixteen voices, but with eight oscillators, with over 300 available waveforms per oscillator. This is where the true sound designer can sink his teeth in. Add to that the five envelopes, five LFOs, a digital filter AND an analogue filter, and an effects section as well, and you know you're almost out of teeth.

Algorithms

A big difference with the Hydra, and that's why this Leviasynth is definitely not a Hydrasynth: it is not based on wavetables, there are no mutants of the Hydrasynth either. In their place are the aforementioned algorithms and the eight oscillators. There are 144 preset algorithms available, and per patch you can also design your own. And just to mention something: FM synthesis is then of course so up for grabs, as are phase-distortion, phase-modulation, sync and PWM. Coming back to envelopes: someone with FM experience knows that an FM operator should have his own envelope. So it is the same here: the eight oscillators each have their own volume envelope. The five envelopes mentioned earlier are more global, and thus shared for the whole sound. Given the great visual similarities with the Hydrasynth, it is important to have mentioned these details.

Further features

The Hydrasynth has an extraordinary amount of additional luxuries, and you'll also find them in the Leviasynth. To start with, of course, what the Hydra has become so famous for: the very pleasant polyphonic aftertouch with the fine keybed, the synth is also MPE-compatible. A ribbon strip is again present for your BladeRunner aspirations. There is also CV/gate support, so you can integrate the Leviasynth into your Eurorack wall. There is more than enough space for storing your presets. There is also a 32-slot modulation matrix here. And to cap it all: this is the first ASM synth with 61 keyboard keys. In short, it's a bit of an investment to make, but it's a huge beast of a synth, and highly recommended for the real sound-designer die-hards!